# 885 greatest rock albums **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 18, 2005, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/885-greatest-rock-albums/326697 "2005-10-18T02:23:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/885-greatest-rock-albums/326697/1 "2005-10-18T02:23:29Z")
The local public radio music station just counted down the [top 885 albums](http://www.xpn.org/885ATGA.php) of all time. Naturally, the list was soley designed to provoke argument – but I’ve gotta say, five Beatles albums in the top ten? That’s just bullshit. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/885-greatest-rock-albums/326697/2 "2005-10-18T02:33:05Z")
Well, I can’t believe _American Beauty_ isn’t in the top ten…that’s just wrong. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/885-greatest-rock-albums/326697/3 "2005-10-18T03:10:52Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > The local public radio music station just counted down the [top 885 albums](http://www.xpn.org/885ATGA.php) of all time. Naturally, the list was soley designed to provoke argument – but I’ve gotta say, five Beatles albums in the top ten? That’s just bullshit. You know, I could almost live with 5 Beatles albums in the Top 10. Well, no, as much as I love the Beatles, they’re a bit overrepresented to say to least. (Besides _Abbey Road_ isn’t even their best album. I’ll take _Rubber Soul_ or _Revolver_ over that any day.) That’s a rather, um, odd list. Miles Davis’s _Kind of Blue_ in a rock album list? _Born to Run_ as number 4? Counting Friggin Crows at number 25? (?!?!?!) _Pet Sounds_ all the way down at number 21. Say what? The Grateful Dead at 12? Yipes! This truly is one of the worst “Best of…” lists I have ever seen. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/885-greatest-rock-albums/326697/4 "2005-10-18T03:12:10Z")
Why isn’t _London Calling_ on there? ---
**Author:** ![Kid\_A\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Kid\_A\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kid_A_1)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/885-greatest-rock-albums/326697/5 "2005-10-18T03:14:08Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > Why isn’t _London Calling_ on there? It’s #8. I was just listening to it this weekend. I forget how good it is until I listen to it again. Just blown away each time I listen. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/885-greatest-rock-albums/326697/6 "2005-10-18T03:56:19Z")
I’d say it is way too heavy on the Grateful Dead. The Dead were NOT known for their albums. ---
**Author:** ![Operation\_Ripper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/34f0e0/32.png) [@Operation\_Ripper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Operation_Ripper)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/885-greatest-rock-albums/326697/7 "2005-10-18T04:03:38Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > Why isn’t _London Calling_ on there? It is, at No. 8. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/885-greatest-rock-albums/326697/8 "2005-10-18T04:03:50Z")
The Stones do no better than #17? And Joni Mitchell’s _Blue_ outscores it? I’ve been listening to the latter recently – and, no, it’s not a better album than _Exile_. ---
**Author:** ![Operation\_Ripper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/34f0e0/32.png) [@Operation\_Ripper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Operation_Ripper)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/885-greatest-rock-albums/326697/9 "2005-10-18T04:04:56Z")
> [@Kid\_A](#): > > It’s #8. I was just listening to it this weekend. I forget how good it is until I listen to it again. Just blown away each time I listen. D’oh, ignore my know-it-all post. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Othersider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/cab0a1/32.png) [@Othersider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Othersider)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/885-greatest-rock-albums/326697/10 "2005-10-18T04:22:22Z")
For me, it’s hard to argue with a lot of the albums they put on there - not all by any means, but a lot - but the placement is what bothers me. Personally with all the top X lists that have been published in recent years, I’m inclined to think it’s much harder to rank albums, and with a less enjoyable (and more disputable) outcome, than just listing them. But if you’re going to rank them, well, there are tons of just unforgivable sins. Few as bad as including Kurt Cobain and Jack White on a list of the top 100 guitarists (thank you, Rolling Stone), but still… ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/885-greatest-rock-albums/326697/11 "2005-10-18T12:51:49Z")
> [@Othersider](#): > > But if you’re going to rank them, well, there are tons of just unforgivable sins. Few as bad as including Kurt Cobain and Jack White on a list of the top 100 guitarists (thank you, Rolling Stone), but still… Well, perhaps I wouldn’t put Kurt Cobain on a list of top guitarists (though I do like his work), but there’s absolutely nothing wrong with Jack White. He’s the most exciting popular rock guitarist playing today, hand down. I’m kind of philosophically opposed to the extended guitar solo, but damn me if I don’t get a chill up my spine watching him perform live. And despite the pyrotechnics, his phrasing and attack is fluid and soulful. He’s far more musical and interesting than guitar gods like Joe Satriani (although I’ll give you _Surfing With the Alien_) and Yngwie Malmsteen. To give you an idea of what perspective I come from, my favorite “flashy solo” rock guitarists would include Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Eddie van Halen, as well as Jack White. ---
**Author:** ![Othersider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/cab0a1/32.png) [@Othersider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Othersider)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2005, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/885-greatest-rock-albums/326697/12 "2005-10-22T04:15:02Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Well, perhaps I wouldn’t put Kurt Cobain on a list of top guitarists (though I do like his work), but there’s absolutely nothing wrong with Jack White. He’s the most exciting popular rock guitarist playing today, hand down. I’m kind of philosophically opposed to the extended guitar solo, but damn me if I don’t get a chill up my spine watching him perform live. And despite the pyrotechnics, his phrasing and attack is fluid and soulful. He’s far more musical and interesting than guitar gods like Joe Satriani (although I’ll give you _Surfing With the Alien_) and Yngwie Malmsteen. > > To give you an idea of what perspective I come from, my favorite “flashy solo” rock guitarists would include Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Eddie van Halen, as well as Jack White. I’m a firm believer that you can’t judge someone until you’ve heard them, but I haven’t been very impressed by Jack White thus far. Then again, I might have said the same thing about John Frusciante (Red Hot Chili Peppers) and Jeremy Hora (Default), among others, until I saw them live.